1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover opening/closing device that supports a cover in such a manner that the cover can be opened/closed. The present invention also relates to an information processing unit having a cover opening/closing device.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the use of mobile equipment such as a notebook computer requiring waterproofness and drip-proofness has increased, with the improvement of the mobile properties. To improve waterproofness and drip-proofness of mobile equipment, techniques are needed to prevent the entry of moisture into interstices between cases or interstices between a cover and a case in mobile equipment. As a technique for preventing moisture from intruding into interstices, for example, the following configuration is provided: a sealing member having a cushioning property made of, for example, foamed urethane, is provided in an interstice, so that the sealing member is sandwiched and compressed by a case or a cover. A case having a waterproof structure is disclosed in JP 2005-302976 A.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional information processing device. As shown in FIG. 6, the information processing device includes a first case 101 (first case) and a second case 102 (second case). The first case 101 includes a keyboard 105, a pointing device 106, and the like. The second case 102 includes a liquid crystal display 102a. The first case 101 and the second case 102 are supported by a hinge part 103 so that they can be opened/closed. The first case 101 includes a cover 104.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the cover 104 is opened. As shown in FIG. 7, the cover 104 is capable of opening/closing a recessed part 116 provided with a disk drive 111, in which a disk-form medium can be loaded/unloaded. The disk drive 111 includes a turntable 113, an optical pickup 114, and the like. The disk drive 111 is provided in the recessed part 116. The recessed part 116 is provided with a rib 112. The turntable 113 is configured to be fit in a circular hole formed in the center of a disk-form medium, so as to hold the disk-form medium. The optical pickup 114 emits laser light toward a recordable face of the disk-form medium fitted on the turntable 113, so that information can be recorded on the recordable face. The optical pickup 114 receives light reflected from the recordable face with use of a light-receiving element, so as to read information recorded on the disk-form medium.
Further, on an inner face of the cover 104, there is provided a sealing member 141 made of an elastic material such as rubber. In the state shown in FIG. 6 in which the cover 104 is closed, the rib 112 sinks into the sealing member 141 while compressing and deforming the sealing member 141. This improves the air-tightness of the recessed part 116, thereby preventing foreign matters such as moisture or dust from adhering to the disk drive 111.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the principal parts of the notebook computer in a state in which the cover 104 is opened. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the principal parts of the notebook computer in a state in which the cover 104 is closed. As shown in FIG. 8, the rib 112 is formed so that, in a region facing the cover 104, a height dimension H1 of the rib 112 from a bottom face 111a of the disk drive 111 is substantially uniform in a plane direction of an inner face 104a of the cover 104. Since the rib 112 is formed so as to be parallel with respect to a surface 141a of the sealing member 141 in the closed state as shown in FIG. 9, a degree of the sinking of the rib 112 in the sealing member 141 is substantially uniform in the plane direction of the inner face 104a of the cover 104.
However, with the above-described conventional configuration, when the cover 104 is closed, it is necessary to impose a great load onto the cover 104 so as to compress the sealing member 141. Thus, the operability upon closing cannot be considered excellent.